Improvement in refrigerating apparatus



J. E. WINANTS; Refrigerating Apparatus.

No. 212,164. Patented Feb.11, 1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEE oE.

JOSIAH E. lVI-NANTS, OF WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT lN REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212,164, dated February11, 1879 application filed July 19, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, JOSIAH E. \VINANTS, of Wilmington, North Carolina,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RefrigeratingApparatus, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to that class of icemachines wherein the coolingis produced by the compression and expansion of air or other similarelastic gases, from which the heat or caloric. evolved by thecompression has been eliminated and carried away by a blast of air orcurrent of water, or the two combined, passed around or through thevessel containin g the said air while in a compressed state, and isdesigned more especially as an i mprovement upon that form of apparatusdescribed in Letters Patent No. 173,198, granted to me February 8, 1876.

It is well known that in machines of this class the pump which acts tocompress the air or gas is usually driven by a crank and connectionreceiving motion from an engine or other suitable motor. Thisconstruction and arrangement of parts, while acting effectively to acertain extent, has been found defective by reason of the great amountof friction involved, consequent upon the large'power required to effectthe requisite compression of the air or gas, and this class of machineshas consequently failed to come into general use.

The object, therefore, of this invention is to obviate this and otherobjections, and at the same time to produce a machine which shall beeffective in use and cheap in construction; and to this end it consistsin the combination, with a steam-engine, a compression-pump, and anauxiliary engine arranged in one and the same line, of a compressed-airreceiver, a coolin gchamber, and mechanism for forcing a current of airor water, or both, around the compression-pump and through thecompressedair receiver, with suitable pipes and connections, whereby theair is compressed, the heat evolved by compression is eliminated andcarried away, and the cooled air expanded intermittingly in thecooling-chamber, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figurel is a side elevation of my improved refrigerating and coolingapparatus, with the'casing of the compression-pump and compressed-airreceiver, and a part of the secondary or auxiliary engine-cylinder,broken away to more fully illustrate the same. Fig. 2 is a plan view,and Fig. 3 an end view, of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A is a steam-engine, which receives steam from a suitable boiler throughthe pipe a, and B is the compression-pump for compressing the air orgas; and bothengine and pump may be of any ordinary or suitable construction. These two members are shown in the drawings as mounted upon thecompressed-air receiver 0, which is formed as a close vessel, and isdesigned to hold the compressed air or gas.

0 c are a series of tubes passing through the said compressed-airreceiver, and b is a chamber surrounding the compressing-pump. I is ablower or other suitable mechanism, by means of which a current of airor water, or both, is caused to pass through the said chamber and tubesaround the compressionpump B, and through the compressed air receiver 0,the chamber B being connected with the space b of compressed-airreceiver O, as is shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The parts thus described differ in no appre ciable manner from thoseheretofore employed, and need no further explanation in this connection.

D is a cylinder placed between the steamengine A and compression-pump B,and con-- nects its piston 01 with the piston-rod a, which also carriesthe piston working in the steamcylinder, as also the plunger of thecompres sion-pumpL D is a chest in which is operated a suitable slide orrotary valve similar to that employed in the ordinary donkey-engine, butit may be of any preferred form,) and is connected by the rod E with thevalve of the steamcylinder. This rod and valves are operated by an arm,6, carried by the piston-rod a, and encircling at its upper end thevalve-rod E, so that as the pistons of the steam and aux iliary enginesare actuated the proper motion is communicated to the valves.

0 is a pipe leading from the compressed-air receiver 0 to thevalve-chest of the auxiliary air-engine, and f is the exhaust throughwhich the compressed air, after acting upon the piston, in the auxiliaryengine is intermittingly and suddenly expanded into the cooling-chamberH.

From this it will be seen that when steam is admitted through the pipeto to the cylinder A the piston of the same is actuated, which, in turn,through the rod (0, operates the plungerB of the compression-pump B,thereby compressing the air which is received into the pump from thepipe 1) into the compression-receptacle 0, through the pipe 0 Where,after the air has been compressed and cooled suificiently, it is thencaused to pass through the pipe 0 to the cylinder 1), when, acting onthe piston d, it assists the engineA in further compressions. Thecompressed air is thus utilized in assisting the steam-cylinder, and,after having caused the piston to complete its Work, is exhausted andexpanded into the cooling-chamber H suddenly, instead of in a continuousstream, as heretofore, which latter method has not been found soeffective in cooling.

By this combination of parts it will be read ily seen that I avoid theuse of all cranks and connections, reducing the friction to the minimum,and applying the power in the most efficient and economical manner, atthe same time causing the air which is to be used as the refrigerant toaid in keeping up the requisite supply of compressed air, relieving thesteamcylinder and its piston from a portion of its work, and at the sametime expanding the air in the cooling-chamber at such time and in suchquantities as are productive of the best results.

Having thus described one means of carryings my invention into use, Idesire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exactconstruction of parts shown in the drawings, as it is obvious that otherarrangements may be employed equally effective.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The combination,with a steam-engine, a compression-pump, and an auxiliary engine,arranged in line, as described, of a compressedair receiver, acooling-chamber, mechanism for forcing a current of air or Water, orboth, around the compression-pump and through the compressed-airreceiver, and suitable connecting pipes, whereby the air is compressed,cooled, and intermittingly expanded into the coolingchamber, essentiallyas set forth.

Signed at IVashington, D. 0., this 19th day of July, 1878.

JOSIAH E. VVINANTS.

Witnesses:

E. P. DURFEE, 1). J. NEFF.

